17-year-old indicted in stepfather's homicide

Nearly two dozen friends and classmates of 17-year-old Adrian Kramer packed the hall of the first floor of the Licking County Courthouse to see Kramer as he was escorted to and from a hearing Monday.(Photo11: Bethany Bruner/The Advocate)Buy Photo

NEWARK - A grand jury has formally indicted a Reynoldsburg teen on charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Adrian Kramer, 17, was formally charged Thursday afternoon.

According to court records, Kramer is accused of following his stepfather, 32-year-old Aaron Cusick after a physical altercation inside their home on the 1200 block of Reynoldsburg on April 2.

Kramer was originally charged as a juvenile, but evidence presented at a hearing April 23 convinced Licking County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Hoover there was enough probable cause for the case to proceed in Common Pleas Court.

Evidence in that hearing included testimony that the fatal wound to Cusick was a gunshot fired from eight to 12 inches away into his back.

Kramer's defense team and his mother, Crystal Cusick, have argued the shooting was in self-defense, with Kramer defending himself, his mother and his younger brother.

Kramer's attorney, Erin McEnaney, asked witnesses during the April 23 hearing about a history of domestic incidents Cusick had allegedly had within the last several years, including at least one incident where he was convicted in Licking County Municipal Court.

Kramer had been held in the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Facility in Lancaster, but a $300,000 bond was posted on April 26, according to court records.

The bond being posted means Kramer is staying with his mother. Kramer's family and friends packed the courthouse at the April 23 hearing, yelling "Free Adrian" as Kramer was led out of the juvenile courtroom.

The grand jury indicted Kramer on charges of murder, an unclassified felony, and involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony. The involuntary manslaughter is an alternative charge for a potential jury to consider in determining what occurred, if the case were to get to that point.

Kramer's next court date will be an arraignment, which is currently scheduled to be held on May 22.